Some kids deal with the horrible trauma of losing a parent with drugs, stealing, or bullying other children. But obviously, changing one's hair color is much worse.

Amelia is on her way to being a person who matters. Good on her!

From what I saw on this story, she partially dyed it at the end of last year. The school let it go but told her not to do it again. I don't see how this is calling anyone on hypocrisy or making a meaningful stand. She is breaking the stated dress code. The school is enforcing its rules.

I'm sorry her dad died of cancer, but it was some time ago in her life, and I think there are many ways to honor his memory besides pink hair. The whole pink thing has become a big marketing ploy anyway.

I know people argue that dress codes keep kids from expressing themselves etc., but speaking as one who grew up wearing a uniform, and whose kids wear them, it can be just as valuable to teach a kid that "expressing yourself" and being who you are has very little to do with your clothes -- or hair.

Having watched the video and seen where the handbook bans "distracting hair colors", I have to ask...would it be 'distracting' for a girl (or boy) to go bleached blonde? What if their natural hair color was a flaming red and they were the only redhead in school? What if they decided to shave their head?

The only 'distraction' I see here is from some administrator who doesn't like a child with a non-traditional hair color. I expect that any 'distracting' novelty from this color would have worn off among classmates and teachers rather quickly.

...is such a great distraction to the rest of the school that suspension is the only option, then that school has much bigger problems than a bottle of Manic Panic.

As for enforcing the rules, regulations such as these do nothing more than teach children that rules can be made for the sake of making rules, not because they have any beneficial result. It also teaches that enforcement of rules can and will often be done simply because they can be, not because enforcement of pointless rules have any beneficial result or because non-enforcment has any negative result. The lesson is power for power's sake. And if you don't think that's a problem, I suggest you go on Google and remind yourself who the POTUS is.

Stick to your guns! Don't worry about missing school. This will be so great to talk about on your college application essays. This is your ticket to the Ivy Leagues!

I wore one in my highschool, and this makes it a little harder for people to be bullied because of their clothes. It's especially good at avoiding that richer kids show off to poorer kids. I'm not against it.

But, as for considering pink hair distracting... I frankly don't see it. If other students were complaining, I suppose the first step would be to talk to Amelia and to her mother. Explain your side of the equation to them. Maybe a compromise could have been reached. If not... well, if Amelia's hair color really was that much of a problem for other students (and not only for a couple of bigots), then maybe she could find some other way of honoring her father.

But if this is only about Mother Superior telling her 'you can't have pink hair in MY school'... Well then, I'd support Amelia. What the hell? Pink hair is actually pretty!

...PINK HAIR?!!?"

So what?

But still...

Fight to permanently change the rule for every student who wants to die his or her hair pink for any reason = good.

Fight to get an exception to the rule for this one girl = bad.

I read and respect Broadsheet, but feminist blogger? Really? That's what you want this kid to acheive? I mean, it's better than a lot of other careers, but it's still pretty mid-level on the overall scale. It's kind of like wanting your kid to be the head chef at the Olive Garden , or the ghostwriter for the Babysitters Club books. The stuff of steps to dreams, not the stuff of dreams.

On a side note, I was once suspeded for wearing a giraffe on my head in sixth grade.

While I think her sentiment is sweet, it bothers me that Broadsheet gives this girl so much praise. Firstly, she's hardly a feminist. And perhaps I am the only one, but I saw the same segment, and it showed the dress code manual to be very clear: no abnormal hair colors. It doesn't state exceptions for hair colors inspired by tragedy or in memorial. And it shouldn't have to. It's purpose is to keep kids in line long enough to graduate them, not to go out of its way to respect whatever form of emotional expression students choose (could she not get a locket or something?).

The girl thinks the handbook should list the specific colors of hair not allowed...she must be perfectly aware that arguments like "magenta" and "neon yellow" not being listed will pop up instantly. But there's something more important here. The focus of schools is learning. So you can't have your hair be pink...who would have thought!

I wouldn't expect the girl to be mature enough to move on, but her family really ought to stop wasting the school's time and money, and their daughters education, and get their child in compliance with a basic dress code requirement. She will have to make her hair normal again one day, anyway, likely for her first job interview.

Additionally, at an early age I got tired of classmates making a fuss over every comma in the dress code, and the result was the administration got so tired of the fuss, legal distractions, and "I have the right to do whatever i want" attitude that a year ago the inevitable happened, and now from middle school on, kids have to wear uniforms.